UNEMPLOYMENT

Spain's Catalonia region will ask for more than $6 billion from the nation's central government as it struggles with massive debts and an acute budget shortfall. Other Spanish regions are also lining up for similar aid requests.

Private sector deposits fell by nearly 5 percent in July to €1.509, European Central Bank data showed, as public confidence in the banking system continued to plummet amid a worsening economic situation.

The biggest event this week is Friday's Jackson Hole meeting. While this week's economic calendar is rather packed, Wall Street seems to care more about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech at the Kansas City Fed's annual economic symposium.

Asian stock markets ended lower Monday as concerns over the Chinese economic slowdown offset the expectations for more stimulus measures from the policy makers around world.

Lonmin PLC, the platinum producer whose Marikana mine in South Africa was the site of deadly protests during the past several weeks, is pushing for a return to business as usual after an operations shutdown caused by a wildcat strike and a period of national mourning.

Global automakers from Renault SA (Paris: RNO) to Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) to Chinese companies like Geely Automotive are all racing to get a piece of the long-term potential promised by Africa's burgeoning automotive market. The continent's economy is on the rise, and despite very real improvements in the quality of life and standards of living in many African countries, risks for multinational manufacturers remain.

The Federal Reserve has room to deliver additional monetary stimulus to boost the U.S. economy, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told a Congressional oversight panel in a letter.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis released Wednesday warns the U.S. could be heading for a recession in 2013 if Congress enacts scheduled spending cuts and tax increases.

Using a model that incorporates state-level economic data, political scientists predict that Mitt Romney will notch a resounding 300 electoral votes -- far more than the 270 needed -- while capturing 52.9 percent of the popular vote.

The number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, suggesting little improvement in the labor market.

he Markit Flash Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index, a measure of services and manufacturing order volumes, was 46.6 in August, down from 46.5 in July.

Puerto Ricans decide its future in November, weighing options that include remaining a U.S. territory or becoming a state. While some say Puerto Rican statehood is bad business for the U.S. others say the nation might be looking at the next swing state.

An unofficial gauge of human misery in the U.S. is now sitting at its lowest level in three years. Not four. In other words, while conditions have improved somewhat, Americans are still feeling miserable under President Barack Obama's watch and that obviously doesn't bode well for Obama's re-election chances.

All told, the number of ‘fat’ Americans far surpasses those of any racial, ethnic or religious minority.

The Iranian regime has good reason to restrict young people's access to education, regardless of gender.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Thursday as investor sentiment was lifted by expectations that policy makers around the world would announce monetary easing measures to regain the economic growth momentum.

Are you entitled or empowered? Do you feel you are owed, or do you feel you own something? This simple choice reflects your view of the world. It stands for your self-image.

At present, the widest wealth gap is found in Guatemala, while Venezuela boasts the most equitable income distribution in the region.

The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that the so-called fiscal cliff, the simultaneous tax hikes and government spending cuts that take effect Jan. 1, 2013, will send the U.S. economy into recession next year.

Is the U.S. economy headed for a recession before it fully recovers from the last one? There's no better indicator to watch than trash.

The themes of the Republican National Convention next week will be focusing on some of the economic and social problems Americans are facing under a Democratic White House.